Kerry L. Priest, Ph.D.

Professor, graduate studies director
kerryp@ksu.edu, View my CV
Individualization | Connectedness | Input | Learner | Intellection
Campus office: 209 Leadership Studies Building

Teaching

I believe leadership education creates the conditions for exercising leadership on our campus and in our communities, locally and globally. When we engage with one another in leadership learning, we gain knowledge, self-awareness, skills, and experience that is needed to solve problems and create a better world for all.

Current courses

LEAD 701: Foundations of Leadership
LEAD 755: Systems Leadership
LEAD 814: Graduate Studies in Leadership Communication
LEAD 820: Contemporary Perspectives on Leadership Theory and Practice

Research

My research explores how people develop leadership, new ways to teach leadership, and how groups and communities can work together to create change. I am especially interested in collective, adaptive, and systems approaches to leadership. By combining theory and practice, I seek to help individuals and communities develop resilience to navigate complex challenges and create a better future for all.

Leadership in complex adaptive systems
Leadership education and development
Qualitative and community-engaged methods

Guthrie, K. L., & Priest, K. L. (Eds.) (2022). Navigating complexities in leadership: Moving towards critical hope. Contemporary Perspectives in Leadership Learning Series. Information Age Publishing.
Chung, J., Cummings Steele, M., Gleason, M., Guthrie, K. L., Navarro, C. D., Pierre, D. E., Priest, K. L., Weng, J. (2021). New Directions for Student Leadership, No. 172: Leadership Education through Complex Transitions.
Priest, K. L., & Jenkins, D. M. (2019). Developing a Vision of Leadership Educator Professional Practice. In K. L. Priest & D. M. Jenkins (Eds.) New Directions for Student Leadership: No. 164. Becoming and Being Leadership Educators, 9-22. Jossey-Bass.
Kliewer, B. W., & Priest, K. L. (2019). Building Collective Leadership Capacity: Lessons Learned from a University-Community Partnership. Collaborations: A Journal of Community-based Research and Practice, 2(1), 16, 1-10.
Gott, T., Kliewer, B. W., Priest, K. L., & Tolar, M. H. (2018). The Path Forward: A Case for Openness in Leadership Studies. Journal of Leadership Studies, 12(12), 55-59.
Priest, K. L., & Seemiller, C. (2018). Past Experiences, Present Beliefs, Future Practices: Using Narratives to Re(present) Leadership Educator Identity. Journal of Leadership Education, 17(1), 93-113.
Priest, K. L., & Kliewer, B. W. (2017). Introduction: Advancing Leadership Education through Community Engagement. Journal of Leadership Studies, 11(1), 36-39.
Kliewer, B. W., & Priest, K. L. (2017). Why Civic Leadership for social Justice? eJournal of Public Affairs, 6(1), 1-10.